Four leading public services and companies in France have announced the creation of Wizway Solutions*, a joint venture dedicated to developing contactless mobility solutions. The consortium is supported by France’s Ministry for the Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs and Ministry for Transport.

Wizway Solutions, the world’s first consortium dedicated to contactless mobility, harnesses the expertise of each of its four partners to offer Transport Organising Authorities (TOAs) and transport companies a modern and simple ticketing solution that will facilitate door-to-door travel.

Using mobile devices that are compatible with NFC (near field communications) technology, passengers will be able to purchase all types of tickets—single fares, railcards and more—anywhere, anytime with their carrier’s or TOA’s app, and store these tickets securely on their SIM card. When travelling, passengers will simply pass their cellphones over readers or terminals, or present them to agents checking tickets. A mobile device will suffice for travel, even if it is out of battery or switched off.

The solution offered by Wizway Solutions incorporates two industry standards: Calypso, a contactless international standard that is widely used in France, and NFC (near field communications) technology for mobile phones. It will be compatible with the various operating systems used by mobile phone manufacturers as well as those of telecoms operators in France and, in the medium term, on international markets.

* subject to approval of all regulatory authorisations

To mark the founding of Wizway Solutions, heads of the four founding partners commented:
Elisabeth Borne, Chairman and CEO, RATP: “RATP has been promoting innovative ticketing since we launched our first contactless pass, and Wizway Solutions meets our aim of combining sustainable mobility with smart city life through new digital services that facilitate travellers’ daily commute.”

Olivier Piou, CEO, Gemalto: “Wizway Solutions is the first joint venture to create a global eco-system offering passengers innovative contactless mobility solutions. These solutions are based on a shared, open platform that respects and protects each consumer’s personal data.”

Stéphane Richard, Chairman and CEO, Orange: “Consumers can already use their smartphone and NFC technologies for contactless payments via Orange Cash, and soon they will be able to travel everywhere with Wizway Solutions’ tools.”

The four founding members each hold 25% of Wizway Solutions, which remains open to other operators and carriers. The current timeline calls for its products to be made available to TOAs and transport companies in 2016, and to be deployed in the general public in 2017.